In Soul Society, All I Want Is to Coast into Retirement

The line of people stretched from Seireitei's east gate all the way to the distant Rukon District. There were still eight lines, and at a glance, there had to be at least two or three thousand people.

"This..." Yamabuki Chidori had never imagined the registration scene would be this explosive.

Yamamoto had a bit of a headache when it came to this clerical stuff too. When he saw Yamabuki Chidori return, he directly used Flash Step to drag him over to the desk.

"Wait... Captain Commander, I found you a talented person!" Yamabuki Chidori hurriedly recommended Gen'en Kinra.

Yamamoto and Gen'en Kinra exchanged a glance, their Reiatsu briefly clashing. For the first time, a trace of shock appeared in Gen'en Kinra's fearless eyes!

The Reiatsu of the middle-aged man before him was vast as the sea, far beyond anything he could shake. So this was the Captain Commander of the Gotei 13? Interesting!

Yamamoto did not make an exception just because of the other man's abilities. He merely said flatly, "Go stand in line."

Gen'en Kinra showed no dissatisfaction and obediently went to the back of the line.

As for why he was being so obedient...

He couldn't win. He simply couldn't win!

"Captain Commander, what method are we using to select squad members? You still haven't told me!" Yamabuki Chidori had barely sat down before the people in line began urging him on.

Recruiting Squad Members

Yamamoto said, "Do you know about the twenty ranks of Spiritual Power?"

Yamabuki Chidori nodded. "I do."

A Shinigami's Spiritual Power was divided into twenty ranks. Rank twenty, the lowest, was the level of an ordinary squad member. Lieutenants were around ranks four or five, while anything above rank three was Captain level.

Yamabuki Chidori saw a device on the table specifically designed to test Spiritual Power. He reached out and tried it, and it registered him at rank four. Pretty accurate—his Reiatsu really was at Lieutenant level now.

"Captain Commander, have you tested yours? Is it rank one?" Yamabuki Chidori asked.

Yamamoto shook his head. "No. I'm afraid I'd blow up the machine. It's quite expensive!"

"...Fair enough."

"Anyone whose Spiritual Power does not meet the standard will be eliminated immediately. No one gets special treatment, no matter who pleads for them. Those between ranks fifteen and twenty will be sent to Genryūsai for study. Remember to clearly note whether they're nobles or commoners. If they're nobles, we'll charge them a hefty fee. Commoners may study for free," Yamamoto said.

That was a pretty good method. Who had come up with it?

Yamabuki Chidori heaped praise on it.

Yamamoto, however, looked at him as though he were an idiot. "Wasn't this the method you came up with yourself after getting drunk last night?"

Huh???

Had he blacked out?

Forget it. If he wanted a pleasant retirement, he had to start working now!

It was an incredibly tedious job. One Shinigami after another came forward to be tested. Those with poor results were eliminated on the spot, and they also had to be sorted into nobles and commoners. After working from before dawn until deep into the night, they had completed less than a tenth of the workload. Looking at the endless line before him, Yamabuki Chidori let out a wail!

I want to retire!!!

I want to fish and grow flowers!

I want to live a leisurely life!

I don't want to work 24/7 like this.

But the Gotei 13 had far too few people they could use right now, especially for clerical work. There was only him; they could not even find a second person!

"No. We have to expand recruitment. We have to bring in more people!" Yamabuki Chidori made up his mind. Being able to fight was important, but managing logistics, internal affairs, and all kinds of clerical work was indispensable too.

Yamabuki Chidori could not really turn the Gotei 13 into some group of murderous fiends! This was a proper military force.

"Haah!!!" Yamabuki Chidori yawned and stretched, his bones crackling all over.

"Next," Yamabuki Chidori said listlessly.

"Name!"

"Hachisato."

"Hm? It's you, from the Shihōin Clan!" Yamabuki Chidori recognized the person standing before him. "Come test your Spiritual Power."

Hachisato excitedly placed his hand on the testing device. At last, a number popped up.

"Rank nine."

Hm? Not bad!

Yamabuki Chidori was somewhat surprised. This was considered quite a good result. Most nobles had higher Reiatsu than commoners, but the vast majority of nobles only had the strength of ranks seventeen or eighteen, which was barely passing. Very few who surpassed rank fifteen could join the Gotei 13 directly. Out of these thousands of people, they might not even select a hundred.

Those who could reach rank ten or above were even rarer.

The sudden appearance of someone with rank-nine Spiritual Power lifted Yamabuki Chidori's spirits.

"Let's register you..." Yamabuki Chidori suddenly realized something. Should a noble's servant be considered a noble or a commoner?

He originally wanted to ask Yamamoto, but on second thought, even if he asked, the Captain Commander would just toss the question back at him.

Forget it, I'll decide for myself!

"Do you hold a noble title? If not, I can only record you as being of commoner birth. After joining the Gotei 13, you will automatically receive the status of a lower noble," Yamabuki Chidori asked.

"No, sir. An assassin like me... is not worthy of noble status..." Hachisato said softly.

Assassins were indispensable in Seireitei, often helping their masters do dirty work, but their status was extremely low. They could never obtain noble standing in their lives, not even that of a minor lower noble.

"From today onward, you have it. By regulation, every official member of the Gotei 13 receives a lower noble seat. Your strength is already up to standard, so for now, I'll assign you under Captain Shihōin. Just go back and tell him directly," Yamabuki Chidori said.

Hachisato clenched his fists excitedly.

As long as he had a noble seat, even if he was only a lower noble, he would be able to live in the sunlight from now on!

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

"Alright, don't waste my time. Next," Yamabuki Chidori said.

"Name!"

"Gen'en Kinra."

Yamabuki Chidori saw Gen'en Kinra approach and still wore an impersonal expression. There were too many people watching; openly pulling strings would not look good!

"Spiritual Power test!"

Gen'en Kinra placed his hand on the device, and a number flashed up!

Rank three!

The people standing in line around them were dumbfounded.

Where had this uncle come from? He was ridiculously strong!

According to Gotei 13 rules, rank-three Spiritual Power already qualified someone to run for Captain.

Ever since the Gotei 13 had openly defied Central 46, everyone knew just how valuable the position of Captain was!

According to the nobles' propaganda, a Gotei 13 Captain held even more power than a sage of Central 46.

With such a dark horse suddenly appearing, quite a few nobles fixed their eyes on Gen'en Kinra.

"Commoner birth, rank-three Spiritual Power. Next!"

Gen'en Kinra took his proof of enlistment and prepared to find somewhere to rest. However, although the Gotei 13's land had been approved, their barracks had not been built at all. It was just an empty lot!

The nobles all went home to sleep, while the commoners could only find somewhere to make do for the night.

Yamabuki Chidori whispered to Gen'en Kinra, "Go farther inside. I have a room back there—you can rest there tonight! Chōjirō, take this uncle there!"

Sashō Chōjirō led Gen'en Kinra back to the room to rest, while Yamabuki Chidori had already prepared himself to go without sleep that night.

"Everyone! You don't mind if I cut in line, do you?" Tsunayashiro Fūka asked the people ahead with a broad smile.

The commoners did not know who he was, and many of them cursed at him, but none of the nobles dared make a sound.

Yamabuki Chidori's face darkened. "Please line up in an orderly fashion. Do not cut in line."

Tsunayashiro Fūka said to a middle noble who was about to have his Spiritual Power tested, "Give me your place. You have a daughter, don't you? Send her to my residence later to be my concubine. Will you?"

The moment the middle noble heard that he could establish ties with the Tsunayashiro Clan, one of the Five Noble Clans, he grinned from ear to ear. He obediently gave up his place, then went home to fetch his daughter.

Holy shit! You could do that?!

Yamabuki Chidori stared in disbelief.

"Chief Strategist, don't waste time. Help me test my Spiritual Power!" Tsunayashiro Fūka said with a smile.

The exchange of places had been mutually agreed upon, so Yamabuki Chidori could not say much. He could only continue his work.

This Is Going Too Far!

Seeing Tsunayashiro Fūka's smug expression, Yamabuki Chidori really wanted to go up and punch him hard. But when he saw how many people were still waiting behind him, he gave up. For the sake of work, I'll endure it.

"Name!" Yamabuki Chidori asked coldly.

"Chief Strategist, no need to be so rigid! There are still so many people waiting behind us!" Tsunayashiro Fūka said cheerfully. "Let's test my Spiritual Power directly!"

Tsunayashiro Fūka placed his hand on the device, and it quickly gave him a result: rank five.

Tsunayashiro Fūka was immensely pleased with himself. He had sent people to secretly observe the ranks of the Shinigami registering for the Gotei 13, and the conclusion was that most were unqualified. Only a small number could pass the Spiritual Power test, and even then, very few could join directly. Most had to enter Genryūsai for training.

There were almost none like him, whose Spiritual Power had directly reached rank five. Although Gotei 13 regulations stated that only those above rank three could become Captains, where were they going to find so many experts? He had heard that someone with rank-three Spiritual Power had appeared earlier? No matter. Even counting the newcomers, the Gotei 13 only had four Captain-level powerhouses. When the time came, they would have to pick the best of a bad bunch. The Captain position would definitely fall to him.

There was no helping it. With strength came confidence.

After working continuously for four days and three nights, Yamabuki Chidori looked like a panda. He was utterly exhausted, completely drained, and had finally tested the last Shinigami.

Those bastards! Couldn't they come relieve me? Letting me sleep would have been enough! What kind of heartless workplace was this? Working eighty straight hours without rest—even capitalists would weep at the sight of it. When Yamabuki Chidori stood up, he felt as though the blood in his body had stopped flowing, and every bone in his body creaked loudly.

Perhaps because of his physique, his Reiatsu had actually risen a little more.

After four days of bitter fighting, they selected 151 official members and 314 students. These students had to undergo systematic training before they could be deployed to the battlefield.

When he returned to his room, Yamabuki Chidori collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep. This was not the life he wanted! He had clearly wanted to slack off and coast through life, so why did he have to work so hard?

In his dreams, he dreamed of a flat, broad fish, and happily, openly slacked off!

However, while he was asleep, a major incident occurred in Central 46.

A Central 46 staff member came before the Great Sages.

"Elders, something terrible has happened!" the staff member said in a trembling voice.

The Great Sage said calmly, "Look at you. What kind of state is that? You should remain composed even if the heavens collapse and the earth splits apart. Did the Gotei 13 cause more trouble again?"

The staff member shook his head. "This has nothing to do with the Gotei 13. Do you remember the order issued before? To search the Rukon District for a powerhouse capable of rivaling Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto! We may have found one!"

The old men nearly jumped up in excitement at the news. Wonderful! Being suppressed by someone else felt far too awful!

"However, everyone we sent was killed!" the staff member added.

The Great Sage's heart tightened. "All of them were killed? What happened? I remember there was a powerhouse in the escort team whose Spiritual Power had reached rank five!"

The staff member said with a trembling voice, "You mean the younger brother of the head of the Kasumi Continent. He was killed by the other party in a single slash! The scene was extremely gruesome! And everyone who went with him was slaughtered. The other party is a complete and utter killing maniac!"

The Great Sage's face darkened. "Didn't you tell them we were from Central 46?"

"We did!"

"And they still dared to kill our people? Don't they know that means becoming enemies with the entire Soul Society?"

"After we told her, she killed even more happily! She also said... that you should wash your necks clean. She'll be here soon!" the staff member said.

"..."

Had Central 46 become this lacking in prestige these days? Could just anyone bully them now?

"Did that vicious killing maniac not say what her name was?" the Great Sage asked nervously. If someone capable of rivaling Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto really stormed into Central 46, it would be the end of the world.

"That woman called herself..."

"A woman?" The Great Sage froze. Such a peerless powerhouse was actually a woman?

"She called herself... Unohana Yachiru!"